Widescreen Benefits displayed at CES (1 Viewer)

[Brian-W]

For all you widescreen lovers (and Pan and Scan haters), Phillips Electronics had a small kiosk off to the side (but facing the aisle between other booths for passerbys to see) showing the benefits of widescreen vs. pan-and-scan.

There was a double stack of two televisions, the upper television showing a pan-and-scan copy of Lawerence of Arabia, the bottom television showing the widescreen version of the same movie. Both appeared to be synced up so that attendees could clearly see the difference. If I recall correctly, the slogan above the televisions was "See the vision the way the director filmed it"

Anyway, good way to educate many of the attendees who are probably ignorant to the differences.

 

[MathewM]

actually I would assume most of the attendees would not be ignorant to the issue. They need such kiosks in WalMart and Best Buy.

 

[David Lambert]

Actually, I hope that that's the intent of such a display. To demonstrate to the CES attendees that such a display could be done in-store, and perhaps kick off a campaign of this nature.
At HTF we've said all along that this should be driven by the makers of WS sets and the artists who took the time to create their product in WS.
This sounds like the *perfect* way to communicate to and educate the public on this issue!
Go Phillips!!

 

[Ryan Wright]

Very cool. Thanks Philips...

 

[Joshua Clinard]

There must be some people there who are uneducated about widescreen. After all, there are some blockbuster executives who are uneducated.

 

[Brian Alan]

Lots of people at CES have nothing to do with video. I went one year with my wife, who at the time worked at a telephone/answering machine manufacturer. One of the perks they had was the ability to wander around the show when they weren't showing off answering machines. Lots of people working the show are just regular joes who don't have a lot of home theater knowledge, so I'll bet the Philips display did a lot more good than you might suspect.

 

[David Lambert]

I went looking both at the CES website and at Philips' own catalog of CES-related photos at their own web site; I was trying to find a pic of this display. No such luck.
If anyone wants to comb those sites themselve, go ahead...I provided the links above.
I *did* find this blurb from a section of the Philips site:

Philips also is offering consumers the choice of a 4:3 rear projection HD-monitors with the 43-inch 43PP9202 (SRP $1899), 50-inch 50PP9202 (SRP $1999) and 60-inch 60PP9202 (SRP $2499). All will be available in the second quarter, 2002.

Sigh. :rolleyes

 

[Chris]

There is a display in a nearby Best Buy that shows exactly this, a side-by-side comparison of widescreen vs. P&S on a 16:9 set vs. a 4:3.

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

There is a display in a nearby Best Buy that shows exactly this, a side-by-side comparison of widescreen vs. P&S on a 16:9 set vs. a 4:3

What bugs me often is most stores in my area will somehow have both 4:3 and 16:9 TV's hooked up to one player to show the same picture, which means the picture will always be distorted on one kind of display. And it's usually the 16:9 TV.

 

[Michael Harris]

Being in the Navy stationed overseas, I usually buy my electronics at the Navy Exchange. Last Friday I was in my local exchange looking at the new Sonys, both rear projection and one nice WEGA XBR. All were 4x3. I spied the Sony rep and asked him if the exchange would carry any 16x9 TVs. He replied "I certainly hope not". I was floored! I mentioned that I had a huge collection of 16x9 enhanced DVDs and would love to finally see them properly and he said that "full screen" was all I should expect. I just shook my head and left. Guess I'll have to wait until I return to the States to get a 16x9.

 

[Neil N]

Dave,
Maybe I'm misinterpreting the tone of your post, but it appears you're somewhat upset when Phillips seems to be doing just what we've been asking for.
Checking their site at Link Removed or, more specifically Link Removed it looks as if they are just starting their widescreen advocacy campaign:
"Now the world famous director has teamed up with Philips to launch a global educational campaign designed to provide the public at large with a clearer understanding of widescreen formatted television (16:9), and to promote the viewing of widescreen versus the standard 4:3 format television set. The resulting 'See What You've Been Missing' campaign, to run over the coming 12 months, is set to demonstrate how widescreen televisions provide the best movie viewing experience, without compromising the original content of the film - as happens with the traditional TV format."
I'm glad to hear of their efforts and applaud them. Now, if we could just get some more corporations to join them ***cough*** blockbuster... ***cough*** walmart... in educating the public, instead of just pandering to ignorance, we might get somewhere.

 

[David Lambert]

Dave,

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the tone of your post, but it appears you're somewhat upset when Phillips seems to be doing just what we've been asking for.

Whoops, then you DEFINATELY misinterpreted the tone of my post. I see it was made just prior to my son's surgery, so perhaps my anxiety caused it to come across a bit moodily.

I am NOT upset at all that Philips was doing what we've wanted them to.

I was upset that the language that their site used made it sound like the campaign was over. The specific phrase, as I stated in my first post, was the "on the heels of" comment. It could be taken to mean "on the heels of the finish of that campaign", but research since then leads me to now interpret it as meaning "on the heels of the launch of this campaign". A misunderstanding on my part.

My only other concern was that their site goes over the benefits of widescreen, but in the very next paragraph turns around and pleads with J6P not to be upset about them there black bars, 'cuz here we gotz a nice 4:3 set fer ya'!

But, in the end, I am extremely pleased that they are teaming up with Martin Score-say-zee (I can never spell his last name right for the life of me; phonetically sound it out!) to educate folks as much as possible. Good job on their part!

 

[Dave F]

Between this & ripping on companies who violate the compact disc standard, Phillips just kicks ass!
-Dave